I was so happy to see him. Norma said that he had the stomach flu and was taken to the ER (which I thought was a little strange since I haven’t heard of anything going around) but it felt like she was pushing me away, so I didn’t ask any more questions. Norman looked a bit odd — definitely not his normal self. He didn’t even really look at me when he was getting out of the car. It had to be more than just a flu. Right? I just went back to the office and sat there, annoyed, feeling again like I was on the outside looking in.

The next day, Norman gave me a ring on the phone. He said that he wanted me to bring him his notebook from the office. When I got upstairs, he was organizing his room or something.

Then he brought up The Tyger poem by William Blake. The poem that essentially began our friendship. The poem that reminded me how much we’ve been through together. Dammit, Norman! As hard as it is to try and get over him, I just can’t.

Then he asked me why I decided to quit working at the motel, and I just felt at that moment that I needed to be as honest as possible. The Bates family is a very close family, and so much of me wants to be a part of that. I guess, with it just being me and my dad for so long, it was nice to be able to lean on some other people. Another family.

Norman was honest with me and told me something so private (sadly I can’t say what it is here — trust me, you’re better off not knowing) that it made sense to me why the family has been so tight lipped as of late. My heart literally dropped (well, not literally, but you know…) and Norman reassured me that Norma loves having me around, and that they want me to continue working at the motel. I said I needed to think about it, but I just can’t imagine leaving this family now after what he told me.

Something else sort of bizarre happened the day after all of this. Norman came to the office and was in this weird, very somber mood. He said he was going to go for a walk in the woods. A few minutes later, Norma came rushing downstairs and asked where he went and then took off running after him. About 15 minutes later they came back from across the street hugging each other and in tears. I guess whatever they are going through is just taking its toll on them right now.

I’ve decided that, until the family gets their problems resolved, it’s probably best for me to stop writing about them. Give them their privacy. I’m sure I’ll be back on my blog game one day, but for a short while, I think I’m gonna give myself a writing break.